BY RACHEL BREIT
Asian Mix owner Daniel Leung’s goal is to make it easy: Easy for you to enjoy a restaurant-quality meal on the go or on the spot, and easy for his staff, who previously worked together in a more taxing restaurant setting. Does a more relaxed staff cook better food? “You can say that,” Leung says.
Leung also strives to make the food you want to eat. Overheard at the tables outside the eatery, “You’re making that seem so tasty,” a son says to his mom eating ramen. Leung listens to his customers and in turn dishes up new menu items to please everyone.
“We have been really successful with the Chinese food. And now we are trying to add the local Hawaiian barbecue flavors. Those are what the people are looking for every day,” Leung says. And, voila! — new menu items as of last week, by customer request.
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- B.B.Q. Chicken & Shortribs ($9.95)
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- Garlic Shrimp ($8.95)
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- Char Siu Ramen ($8.95)
For some local flair, Leung has a combo perfect for you. Aptly falling on the Local Flavors Plate Lunch menu is the B.B.Q. Chicken & Short-ribs ($9.95). “The meal comes with two nice pieces of chicken and two pieces of short ribs on a bed of shredded vegetables, a big scoop of mac salad, two scoops of steamed rice with the option for brown rice,” Leung says. Ginger, shoyu, a touch of sweetness plus the smoky char of the grill are the flavors you will taste and even smell. “Before you open the box, you smell it,” Leung points out. On that note, beware if you have to pack it to go: The tempting aromas may influence an impromptu pit stop.
And why does the closed Styrofoam box begged to be untucked and tucked into? Because Leung knows that higher quality ingredients translate to better flavor. “We stick to the best products we can.” Even the mac salad is made with extra effort: Best Foods mayonnaise, tuna and fresh, chopped onion.
Other new items include Char Siu Ramen ($8.50) and Garlic Shrimp plate lunch ($8.95 for a regular). The ramen is straight from Japan. Literally. All the ingredients, save the noodles, are imported from Japan. “We are not trying to make it locally; we are bringing over the best taste from Japan,” says Leung. The Garlic Shrimp includes 10 shrimps pan-sauteed with butter and garlic to order. They’re moist and peel easily. “There’s plenty of shrimp here. Look at it!” exclaims a first-time customer.
Asian Mix
1234 S. Beretania St. Shop A-1 (Beretania Safeway)
521.1688
10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. daily
Honolulu, HI 96814
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